


Do not jest

by Smaragdine_Galaxy



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Hurt Loki (Marvel), Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Loki (Marvel) Feels, Loki (Marvel) Has Issues, Loki faints a lot, Medical Examination, Medical Inaccuracies, Non-Consensual Kissing, Not Beta Read, Past Sexual Abuse, Protective Steve Rogers, Protective Thor (Marvel), Rape Aftermath, Redemption, Suicidal Thoughts, Threats of Violence, Violence, Work In Progress, im not a professional, inaccurate mythology, mentions of torture, non-con sexual undertones
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-02-06 20:53:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12825870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smaragdine_Galaxy/pseuds/Smaragdine_Galaxy
Summary: This takes place some time after the Avengers. Thor brings Loki, who has been stripped of his powers, back to earth, in order to protect him from his sentence in Asgard. As the Avengers try to find a solution, a new evil power appears, who is lusting after Loki. Now, the Avengers have to fight this new evil and decide what to do with Loki. Should they protect him? Or should he pay for his crimes? Some new revelations about Loki's time with Thanos complicate things further.





	1. Chapter 1

“You have got to be kidding me“. Stark’s left eyebrow had wandered so far up his forehead it almost disappeared somewhere in his hairline.  
“I assure you, if there was another way, I would not be here, my friend.” Thor’s words did little to relax Stark’s tight facial expression.  
“I suppose there would be a very easy other way.” Barton quipped up as he drew his gun – a rather unusual weapon for him – but perhaps the dire situation warranted it. Romanov put her hand on the gun’s handle, gently pressing down until Barton stopped resisting and let his hand relax by his side, gun still in his hand. She gave him a stern look and turned towards Thor. “As you can understand, this situation is ... less than ideal. Care to explain what happened here?” Her voice remained remarkably even-albeit slightly tighter than usual.

“I could not leave him in Asgard. He was … dying. I know the wrong he has committed but I cannot stand idly by as my brother is perishing.”  
“Thor- I understand he’s your brother, but surely you understand. He has killed people. He killed Agent Coulson. He has committed …many wrongs.” The Captain spoke up for the first time.

“Then imprison him”. Thor’s answer managed to wrap the room in complete silence. “Try him. Put him in one of your prisons.” 

“You would imprison him? “ Rogers asked carefully.  
“Yes, if it means keeping him safe. Please.“ Thor started to plead.  
“Wouldn’t he just escape?” Rogers asked.  
“No. He has been stripped of his powers. He has no magic”. Thor was met with questioning stares.  
“Okay, but I still don’t understand, Thor. Why bring him here then? Why not just hide him somewhere in Asgard. What do you need the Avengers for?” Rogers asked.

Thor looked as if his next words pained him. “Heimdall sees everything. Loki used to be able to hide himself from him but now.” He trailed off and coughed once. “I- I broke Loki out of prison. I committed treason. If, no, when we are found, there will be dire consequences, for me…but more so for Loki. He is safer on Mid-on earth. Especially in your hands.”  
There was that deafening silence again.

“So, you want us to protect Loki? From your people?” Rogers looked incredulous.

“No way in hell, have you gone insane? Look at him. He’s enjoying this, isn’t he? And how can we be sure he would be safe in a prison?” Barton had managed to remain quiet but now it seemed his fragile control of his temper had broken. “Are you fucking kidding me?” 

“Barton”. Romanov scolded him in a gentle voice.

The voices grew louder again, as Thor tried to plead his case to Barton. 

All the while the subject of the heated discussion seemed to be completely unfazed. Loki’s eyes were taking in the room calmly. His relaxed stance not quite convincing as he had chosen to put himself noticeably behind Thor, as if seeking his protection from the Avengers. 

“Hey! Do you have anything to say for yourself?” Stark suddenly barked. Loki’s eyes zeroed in on him, his mouth slightly quirking up in the corner. “I do. You must understand that leaving and finding refuge someplace else seems to be impossible, especially for my dear Thor here. And imprisoning me does not seem to be to your satisfaction. I quite agree with you there, actually. I do have a solution to alll our problems though: instead of killing me slowly with your boring babble, why don’t we just let the Hawkeye fulfill his heart’s content and make it quick for me. Would that not be much more enjoyable for everyone involved?”

“Do not jest brother”. Thor’s eyebrow furrowed as he looked down at his brother with concern.  
“Not your brother” Loki said softly.  
“Please Loki. I-“, Thor’s pleading was interrupted by a small tremor travelling through the walls. It was as if Stark Tower had been slightly rattled at its very core. Every occupant of the room immediately upped their concentration while Loki looked on with a slightly bored expression. While everyone was still trying to find the source of the small earthquake, another tremble caused small debris to fall from the ceiling. The trembling increased to a shaking. 

Before any plan of action was formulated in their minds, the shaking stopped. A small glowing sphere had appeared in the middle of the room. As everyone watched in shock – or mild interest in Loki’s case – the sphere began to expand into a human sized orb. Slowly a figure started to appear within the sphere. At first it was almost transparent but slowly its outlines became clearer revealing a small woman. She looked young – barely an adult, but her steady confident gaze betrayed her real age. There was an ethereal, almost regal air to her, accentuated by the elaborate indigo robes she was wearing. They were wrapped around her body in several layers.  
She was holding a spear that was taller than her by a few inches. It had a curved blade, which emitted a blue light, almost as if the metal was melting. She slowly inclined her weapon to gently touch the front of the orb with its tip. Where her spear had made contact with the sphere’s membrane, a small rip appeared.  
From there the tear quickly spread, the orb disappearing within a few seconds just as it had appeared. The woman coolly mustered all the drawn weapons around her, remaining completely unperturbed. She took a step forward and the Captain raised his shield. He took a tentative step towards her. 

“Who are you? Please put down the spear.”  
“I don’t think so dear Captain, unless you will lower your weapons, too, which I doubt. But thank you for giving me the pleasure of talk instead of your companion’s unspoken threats. I do appreciate a good – “  
“Hey, listen to the man will you? Put the spear down” Stark’s patience had already run thin. "Who the fuck are you anyway?”

The young woman cocked her head as if contemplating him. Suddenly Stark started coughing - his hands wandering up to his throat. He opened his mouth and several strings of what appeared to be metal strings came reaching out of his mouth like worms writhing and winding trying to find their way out. They started crawling up his face, coming to rest on the back of his head like a strap. There were still more inside his mouth, and from his coughing apparently also in his throat. Finally they seemed to settle, having successfully shut him up.

As shocked as everyone was, no one in the room moved a muscle. The air felt like thick fog or water, making it impossible to move.  
The woman smiled, seemingly in complete control of the room.

“For the first time in your life, I believe it is time for you to shut your mouth, Man of Metal. Now as I was trying to get to before your little interruption, I do want to introduce myself. I am Steorfenne. I am Darkness. And I came to feast.” She looked around the room as if to challenge them to question her declaration. When no answer came she shrugged.

She took a step forward and slowly scanned the room. Her eyes skipped quickly past Rogers and Barton, then she lingered on Romanov but seemed to change her mind. Finally, she settled on the dark figure hiding behind Thor. “Oh”. Her lips fell open and her eyes widened as if she had just laid eyes on a particularly indulging dessert. She slowly walked towards Loki, the hunger becoming more and more obvious on her face. She went straight past Thor, who was looking at her with terrified eyes, still unable to move like the rest of them. Finally she came to a halt mere inches in front of Loki.

“You know. I only came here to ... I suppose scout out my possible feeding options, but this…this is an opportunity I cannot let slip.”

And she reached out with her bare hand extended like a claw and sunk her fingers deep into Loki’s chest – a wide grin plastering her face, revealing just a few too many teeth. Blue light lit up where her hand was now completely buried in Loki, while a surprisingly small trickle of blood started spilling from the point of entry. Loki’s eyes were blown wide open and a single bead of sweat appeared at his temple. She took a step closer tilting her head to look up into his eyes. 

“Now, what do we have here? It has been a long time since I have met someone with so much hatred filling their hearts. Oh no, not his hatred for humanity, dear Hawkeye.” She answered the unasked question, causally turning around at Barton, who watched her with an expression of complete shock. “Oh no. You hate yourself, don’t you?” She focused on Loki again. 

“And there is darkness. I see.” Her eyes lit up with pure excitement. “After you let go and fell into the abyss, you saw real darkness, did you not? Incredible what pure nothing can do to a soul. I am surprised you did not crumble. Ah, but you did, did you not? Although only in your mind. And after so much darkness when Thanos caught you and brought you to his lair, his whips felt like a gentle caress did they not? The heat he sweltered you with like a cooling hand on you feverish head. Oh and the things – the unspeakable things he and the others did. It was the first sign of love you had felt in years”. Small trickles of blue had started traveling up her arm, as the blue in her spear started to go brighter. 

“And yes, my poor, tortured, exquisite soul. They do hate you. Even your lovely not-brother decided to leave you there. There at the mercy of your worst enemies. He is hoping on the good conscious of people like the Hawk and the Spider. Oh sweetheart. They will not forgive, Loki.”  
The more she talked – the paler Loki became, the brighter the blue light on her spear shone.

“I am going to have so much fun with you, Loki. Oh, I know you know torture, but that is nothing compared to what I can do. I will make you beg on your knees. I will make you wish back Thanos and his whip. But that is what you want is it not?” For the first time Loki moved – his body slightly twitching around her hand.  
“Yes, you think it will absolve you of your misdoings, do you not? You crave the pain, the punishment. But here is where the real fun starts. You will not be forgiven Loki. You will carry this burden for ever and the darkness will consume you and then I will be gracious enough to consume you and milk you dry. And by then, it will be the sweetest relief of your life. I am not malicious, you see?” 

She gave his now trembling form a benevolent smile as she slowly extracted her hand. There was only a small wound left on Loki’s body, as he looked down in horror.  
“Oh, I almost forgot, I shall take that with me”, the woman said cryptically as she leaned back into Loki’s form. She reached up around his head and pulled him down by his hair. Before he could react she had locked lips with him. As much as he struggled he could not escape her seemingly fragile hand holding him down with a vice like grip stronger than anything he had felt before. The blue lines pulsing into her face where their lips touched were tinged slightly green this time. Finally she let go. 

“Thank you for your gift.” The blue orb had reappeared behind her. She turned around and walked back into the blue sphere, as it began to disappear, this time with her. And in a matter of a few seconds she was gone-no trace left behind. Noone moved, even though her apparent spell, which had turned air into water, had been lifted.

Loki was swaying and started to stumble. Without thinking Thor reached out with his hand, steadying Loki at the waist. And Loki allowed it, only looking at his brother with pupils blown wide. After a second he found himself again and stepped back trying to school his face into an indifferent mask. He did not quite succeed.

Stark suddenly cleared his throat, his strange mouth guard apparently gone: “Okay, I don’t know about you guys, but I for one would really like a long thorough explanation of what the everlasting fuck has just happened here. Anyone want a drink?”


	2. Chapter 2

“Okay, let’s start from the beginning.” Rogers said. He was sitting to Thor’s right at the huge table in Stark’s conference room. Because apparently Stark owned a conference room. The table was silver and shiny and shaped roughly like an oval. 

Thor had immediately taken the seat at the short end of the table, like the true royal he was. Loki had reluctantly sat next to him. Steve was on Thor’s right, Stark another seat away - the only one actually holding a drink. Banner had surprisingly elected to sit next to Loki, leaving only one seat empty. Romanov sat at the other end of the table and Hawkeye hadn’t even sat down. He was watching the room from the corner furthest away from Loki.  
It wasn’t as if Loki needed the visual representation to see how much each member of the Avengers disliked him, but it sure was helpful.

“What happened when you and Loki got to Asgard?” Rogers prompted when Thor hesitated to answer.

“Loki was put in the dungeons to await his judgement. There was no real need, though. Everyone…everyone knew he was guilty. So the Allfather sentenced him to a life in prison without his powers.”

“Seems like an awfully nice sentence.” Barton remarked. “Why’d you say then he was ‘perishing’? Little princess couldn’t handle being locked up?” Thor almost stood up, evidently completely scandalized. To everyone’s surprise it was Loki who stopped him. “Focus, Thor. It is of importance we do not fight. This threat is more dangerous than anything I’ve ever seen.”  
“Oh, now he wants us all to get along? Bit late for that, buddy –“  
“Stop it” Rogers interrupted Barton. “Loki is right. Even if you don’t like it, he’s right. We need to know everything that happened up to this point. This…Steorfenne lady was interested in Loki. The more information we have the better. Time is of the essence.” Noone dared to disagree with Rogers when he was speaking as assured and urgent as this. A leader taking charge.

“I thought Loki was lucky, too.” Thor continued his tale. “Until I found out what had happened.” It seemed he didn’t want nor could continue. He threw a careful glance at Loki.

“Let’s just say I’ve never been too popular with the folk of Asgard. Cunning, sneaky little mage I am. And without my powers…and bound…I was helpless.” Loki spat the last word. “Anyways the guards had some…fun themselves and they let anyone in who wanted to have a share.” Noone spoke up, not even Barton.

“And your father allowed this?” Banner sounded indignant, maybe even a little angry. Everyone sat up a bit straighter.

“He…he did” Thor managed to get the words out before Loki could say anthing. “Loki was a prisoner, and…father had already shown too much mercy by not giving him the usual sentence for his crimes: corporal punishment and then execution. He would have risked an uprise if it came out he stopped people from…getting their justice as they saw it.”

“And we wouldn’t want to risk that, would we?” Loki said softly. 

“Okay, so…you broke Loki out?” Rogers looked visibly uncomfortable, but nobody else seemed willing to speak at this point.

“Yes. The moment I found out, I knew I had to free Loki without delay. It wasn’t difficult. I don’t think father suspected I’d disobey him.”

“He didn’t think you’d disobey him for me, Thor.” Loki clarified.

“Anyway, big brother broke little brother out and brought him to my exquisite tower. That doesn’t explain how the spear wielding, crazy, metal worm commanding girl got here, does it?” Stark had remained impressively quiet until now. “So, spill, Loki, what do you know about her?”

“Nothing.”

“Right.” Sarcasm was dripping from Stark’s voice, and his sentiment seemed to be shared by almost everyone else.

“I am speaking the truth, Mortal.” 

Barton didn’t bother to hide his sceptical cough at that.

“I can tell you she is the most powerful being you have ever met. I can tell you that you have no chance of beating her, I can tell you that the only reason we are alive is because she decided so.” Loki seemed calm, collected. But it was easy to tell he was scared behind the facade.

“And nothing else? It seemed like she had an interest in you.” Rogers tried not to sound too sceptical but he failed.

“Well, you heard her. I make good food apparently. I’m sure none of you are surprised that I’d be the most appetizing for a woman who feeds on darkness.” Noone argued with that. But there were still unanswered questions in the air.

“What did she mean, brother?” Thor finally asked. “When she talked about your time with…Thanos. Did this happened before you...tried to overtake Midgard?”

“Do not speak his name” Loki chided. His voice remained soft, however, almost thoughtful. “When I fell from the Bifrost he caught me, just like she said. He…helped me find my true purpose. He promised me earth. I wasn’t going to reject his offer.”

“She said he tortured you.” Rogers stated.

Loki waved his hand as if he was dismissing a small unimportant detail. “I just needed some convincing, that’s all. Surely you are not going to shed any tears on your old foe, are you?”

“I’m not.” Barton said to noone’s surprise. “Come on guys, are we seriously going to fall for this? The most dangerous being he’s ever met? But he knows nothing about her? And she suddenly hands out a lovley excuse for him invading eart? All this torturing nonsense? Like it absolves him? We’ve been tortured. We didn’t invade earth because of it. I say we do nothing, this whole business reeks of a scam.”

Loki looked at him like he was considering something. He chose his next words carefully: “I don’t care if you believe me or not. You are still going to act.” Silence. “Let’s say I am lying. And you don’t believe. Congratulations, you may celebrate in joy over not being deceived by the trickster. You do believe me. I tricked you. You chase an invisible foe and I, what? What could I possibly gain form that? You heard Thor, and I’m sure you believe him. I have nowhere to go in this state. I do not benefit from you trying to fight a made up villain. Now let’s get to the important options. I am telling the truth. You believe me. You manage to at least fight the evil. You will be celebrated as the true heroes you are. Or you do not believe me. Throw this world into chaos because your information supplier is a liar. Bring every person to their doom because you would not believe. Listen to their dying screams asking you why you did not act earlier. And you won’t have an answer. None that could satisfy the seething mass.”

Rogers looked convinced. So did Banner and surprisingly Stark. Romanov and Barton seemed…unsure.

“As for your other point. You are right. My actions on your earth were my own. I won’t beg for forgiveness, but I will admit to what I did. As if some small torturer could break me enough to do his bidding. As if I’m so weak, I cannot endure a few days of physical pain. Do not mistake me for weak, human, I acted on my own accord.” Loki spat.

“Aright”. Romanov’s word was surprising to say the least. She looked at Loki with an undecipherable look. Sympathy? No, that did not suit her. Who knew what went on in the Spider’s mind? “I say we believe him”, she continued, “with caution of course. But as he so eloquently put, we do not have much other choice.”

Everyone seemed to agree by now.

“Good, then we need to start planning – “  
“Wait, brother”, Thor interrupted Loki. “I have questions unanswered. What did Thanos do to you? And what did this woman ‘take’ from you when she…”

“She took…my magic, first of all, I think.” Loki elected to ignore the first question. 

“But you did not have any magic anymore, brother.”

“You think Asgard can bind my magic? Can bind ME? When their own powers are no match to mine? No, I still had some left. But she took more than that. I think she took my, my…life force…I feel…mortal.”

Everyone was as stunned as Loki was by his own realization. He was looking down at his body uncertainly.

“Okay that’s the last straw. So he already lied about his magic the first time and now he’s trying to make us believe he’s mortal? You must all be insane to believe him!” Barton threw a pointed glance at Romanov.

“I’m not lying.” Loki was rolling his eyes. He still looked concerned.

“One way to find out”. Within the blink of an eye Barton had Loki pinned to the glass wall, gripping him by his neck and pushing a dagger against Loki’s neck. Thor roared and held his hand up to summon Mjölnir.

“Wait.” Barton said and stepped back before the situation escalated. He dropped his hand holding Loki’s neck and put the dagger back. He was mustering Loki who was standing perfectly still, a small trickle of blood pooling at his collarbone. 

“Fine.” Whatever Barton had been trying to achieve, he looked more or less satisfied now. “Fine, we believe him…for now.”

“Good, but do not lay a hand on my brother, or I will –“ 

“Yes yes, kill him, bore him with one of your boring battle stories”, Loki continued his brother’s threat. There was a real sense of urgency about him.  
“Now, that we have made it clear I am mortal and telling the truth” – no one contradicted him – “let’s get to planning. What can we do?”

“SHIELD”, Romanov suggested, “they might have some resources on this. This, of course, raises the question of whether or not we should tell them about our….visitor.”

“No. We are not giving him to SHIELD. They are going to...dissect him, experiment on him or worse you know they won't pass up the opportunity. Over my dead body, and you know how that would end for all of you.” Noone argued with Banner. 

“I could consult my own records. Surely Asgard will hold some information on this creature.” Thor looked rather optimistic.

“Wait, didn’t you say you committed treason?” Rogers suddenly remembered. “And what did you think Asgard will do once they have found out we are keeping a fugitive?”

“That won’t matter.” Loki’s nonchalant attitude silenced Thor, who had been trying to answer. “No, I mean it. The Allfather will care about this new threat more than cares about me. And he will certainly not want me back once you have explained, Thor, that this thing is after me specifically. Surely he would not dare to endanger all of Asgard. And besides, they will mostly be glad to see me gone, especially if I am in Midgard’s almightiest hero’s hands.” Thor looked doubtful but didn’t question Loki.

“I’ve got another idea” Stark made himself known once again, “this Steorfenne, she said she feeds of darkness or some shit, right? Maybe we can scan some common points of conflict, see if she shows up to’ feed’ or whatever?”

“That’s a good idea” Rogers voiced everyone’s thoughts.

“Great, I’ll take Banner with me”, and with that Stark left the room, Banner just behind him.

“It’s probably best if Clint and I go to SHIELD right away” Romanov looked at Rogers for approval. He nodded his head. 

“And I shall visit Asgard” Thor made to get up, but hesitated

They had almost forgotten about Loki. Everyone looked at Rogers for a decision. He sighed.

“I think it best if Loki just stayed at the tower. Tony can monitor everything here and if Steorfenne shows up for him we’ll know right away. Also we can keep an eye on him.” This seemed to satisfy everyone in the room.

“Steve, if you could just talk to me for a minute before I depart?” Rogers tried not to look too surprised at Thor’s request.  
“Of course”  
“Farewell Loki, I shall be back…behave.” With that Thor and Steve exited the room, which left a very uncomfortable Loki with Romanov and Barton.

“What does Thor want with Steve?” Barton barked at Loki.

“Probably telling him to keep an eye on me. As if I need it.” Loki spat.

“Hmm, well you should be grateful for that. Considering what might happen otherwise.” The threat still in the air, Barton left the room as well. 

Romanov didn’t immediately follow him. Loki lifted an eyebrow. Was the spider trying to play mindgames with him?

“You know it’s weird…if you still had some of your magic left while in Asgard’s dungeon, you could have easily fended off the guards and anyone else.” She paused and cocked her head to the side. “Why didn’t you?” Clearly not expecting an answer she left the room without another word.

Loki was left alone looking into the distance, visibly unnerved by Romanov’s words. Then he exhaled. In relief? It was almost as if the god of mischief had been scared up to this point.


	3. Chapter 3

Loki looked up to the door. Rogers was leaning at the door frame, having watched him for some time now. They stared at each other, sizing each other up, until Loki scoffed and looked away.

“Anything I can do for you? Are you following some order by Thor to ensure I do not get hurt in this brittle form?”

“Actually he told me to keep you from hurting anyone else.” Rogers answered slowly.

Loki didn’t quite manage to hide his surprise. “It seems he has actually learned from past mistakes. I’m impressed.”

“He did also tell me to keep an eye out in case someone hurts you. It seems your brother still cares for you.”

“Not my brother” came the automatic reply.

“You know I’m curious, why are you so adamant about this? Thor just said you’re adopted. Is adoption not something that happens in Asgard usually?” He sounded genuinely curious.

“Hold your tongue. This is none of your concern.” Loki hissed. Rogers just raised an eyebrow in response. 

“Stop looking at me like that.” Loki made to stand up, but before he could even reach Rogers he stumbled and almost fell, barely managing to grip the edge of the table to steady himself.

“What’s going on?” Rogers uncrossed his arms and came closer. 

“I’m not sure” Loki was out of breath, his arm shaking while he tried to remain standing. Rogers reached out to his other shoulder, gripping tightly to stop Loki from completely collapsing. “Don’t touch me” Loki tried to jerk away, but it became clear something was very wrong when his legs almost gave out.

“Oh don’t even start” Rogers took Loki’s wrist and pulled his arm over his shoulder. He grabbed Loki by the waist and started walking towards the door, basically carrying Loki who could not hold his own weight. “I’m not going to get murdered by Thor just because you’re too prideful to accept help.”  
“JARVIS? Uhm, can you get Stark here? And Bruce, too?” Rogers was still unsure on how to address the bodiless voice. “Right away, Captain” JARVIS replied ever so politely.

Rogers steered Loki towards a couch in the living room and dumped him there, his hand lingering for a second to make sure Loki could still sit up. He was able to, but held one hand to his stomach, his face contorted and his breathing rather shallow.

Stark burst into the room, Bruce just behind him. “What’s going on?” Stark came to a halt mustering Loki with a confused look. 

“Rogers? Did you, did you do something or what happened?

“Of course I didn’t, I’m not cruel Tony.”

“Right of course. So what?”

“I think this may have to do with my new mortality.” Loki struggled to get the words out.

“Well regular humans don’t just spontaneously collapse. We’re not that weak you know.” Stark quipped back. Loki gave him an evil stare. It still managed to make Stark take a step back and raise his hands in a placating manner.  
“When I got here I was still…healing from the wounds inflicted in the dungeons. In my usual form some broken bones aren’t really a problem and they heal within a day, but it appears for a human they provide some problems.” His breathing had gotten very shallow.

Rogers and Stark glanced at each other. “Hospital?” Rogers suggested carefully

“If they recognize him someone might decide to just kill him while they have the chance.” Stark said.  
“I’ll look at him.” Both turned to Banner. “I don’t think we have a lot of options, and from the looks of it he’s this close to having a lung pierced by his ribs.”  
“His what now?” Stark asked.  
Banner approached Loki carefully. “Probably internal damage from the looks of it. Definitely some broken ribs. Tony, do you have a room that can double as a hospital room? Steve, help Loki get there. I will gather all the supplies I need, I’m sure JARVIS will be of help.” “Of course, Dr. Banner.” Came JARVIS’ immediate reply. Everyone sprang into action.

Rogers approached Loki. He pulled him up by his arm. Loki let out a small sound of pain that he quickly tried to stifle. Rogers looked at him unsure. Loki looked back, still managing to glare. “Don’t even think about picking me up.” “Wouldn’t dream of it”, Rogers answered. “Tony, lead the way.” With that they made their way to one of Stark’s rooms.

***

“This is incredible” Rogers looked around the room in wonder. He threw Stark an impressed glance as he dropped Loki off on a professional looking examination table. Loki grunted but pulled himself together.

“Well, I guess I just like to be prepared.” 

“And prepared you are” Banner had already arrived, holding some kind of medical kit. “You’ve really got an incredible arsenal here, Tony. You wouldn’t happen to have an X-ray machine or something?

“I can offer you something” Stark said cryptically and held out his hand. The Iron man mask flew into his hand from who knows where.  
“Just put it on and tell it what to do.” He handed it over to a rather surprised looking Banner.  
“Well that’s new. If I could ask you both to leave the room now?”  
“You sure?” Roger's hand lingered on the examination table. After a long look at Banner he nodded and walked towards the door. “Let us know if you need anything.” He waved towards Stark who followed him.

“So” Banner turned towards Loki. “I’m just going to explain what’s going to happen. I’m gonna X-ray you to assess the internal damage. I’ve done some surgeries in the past so if need be we’d probably be all right. Afterwards I can take care of any external wounds.”

“Don’t doctors usually ask their patients some questions? Where does it hurt the most? How many fingers am I holding up?" 

“Not if I can’t trust you to tell the truth.” Banner put the iron man mask over his head, his hand steady. “Hold still.” Loki complied. The only thing that could be heard in the room was Loki’s heavy breathing. He was starting to curl in on himself more and more with each breath, until finally Banner took off the mask.

“Okay, I can see three broken ribs. But they haven’t punctured your lungs and there is no internal bleeding. I’m assuming your powers took care of the most life threatening injuries first so now we’re just left with that. Only thing you can do is rest and ice your ribs. Not much else a hospital could do.”

Loki didn’t complain, he just watched the doctor wearily.

“Take your clothes off if you don’t mind, I need to check for external wounds. You’ll probably have to ditch the leather anyway.”  
Loki swallowed and looked down at his robes. He glided down from the table. The moment his feet hit the floor he drew a sharp breath in. His slacks came off easily, but he visibly struggled with his tunic, the leather not making the job any easier.  
Growing tired of watching him struggle, Banner - , no, Dr. Banner reached forward and tugged at the tunic carefully. “Just relax your arms. This will be over soon enough.”

Loki breathed out and looked to the side. Then he relaxed the hand that had been gripping his tunic.

Dr. Banner carefully but swiftly pulled the piece of clothing over the top of Loki’s head. Loki curled in on himself again, grunting. He swallowed and slowly straightened again.

“You can keep your undergarments on.” Dr. Banner said as he mustered Loki’s skin. Loki closed his eyes. He didn’t have to look to know what he looked like- his scars, the bruising – some already yellowish, some still bright red. The unmistakeable handprints on his hips. He opened his eyes to see the pity or maybe even satisfaction in Dr. Banner’s eyes.

There was none. He looked calm and collected. “There are no fresh cuts. That’s good, so no stitches needed. I’m a bit concerned about some of these scars. I’m just going to disinfect them real quick. Otherwise you’re good.” He paused, his eyes lingering on Loki’s midriff. “Are you aware of any other…internal damage I should take care of?” Neutral. Professional. The Doctor had clearly dealt with matters like these before.

“No. It’s healed.” Loki did not elaborate.

“Good.” Dr. Banner reached into the kit he’d brought with him. He took some salve out. “This might sting a bit, but it won’t hurt too much”

Loki nodded. He slowly turned around, his shoulders tense. Dr. Banner took an audible breath. “Oh.” 

“Right, don’t be alarmed now.” He used a cotton pad to dap some antibiotics on the scars, which had once been lashes, ripped open by a whip. Loki did not even twitch when the disinfectant was applied. He also didn’t breathe.  
“All done. You can ask JARVIS for a some cooling packs later, apply them to you ribs and bruises but not too long. If you feel your skin going numb, stop. And try not to…exert yourself too much.” Loki still hadn’t turned around. “JARVIS, do we have any clothes for our visitor?”

“Yes, Dr. Banner.” A beeping noise rang through the room

“Of course there’s a secret drawer in this room, what the hell.” Dr. Banner muttered. He dropped a black pile of clothes on the table.

“I’ll leave you to it now. I'll get Steve to show you your room in a minute.” 

Without waiting for an answer he left the room.

Loki let out the breath he’d been holding. When he looked up again his face was an indifferent mask again. He took the clothes on the table, the material unlike anything on Asgard, smooth, silky, and light. He put on the pants with ease, the shirt was difficult but he managed. At the sound of the door whooshing he turned around to see Rogers.  
“Huh, never thought I’d see you in sweat pants.” Loki stared at him. Rogers cleared his throat. “Never mind. I’m just gonna show you your room.” He turned around and Loki followed him.

***

Loki studied his new quarters carefully. “I’ll be outside.” Rogers’s voice ripped him from his stupor. “If you need anything, tell JARVIS.” Rogers threw him another careful glance then he turned around and closed the door softly. A small click was heard. Loki stepped up to the door and leaned one shoulder against it, his shoulder slumping, letting out another breath.  
“Okay, so the door is locked.” Stark’s voiced was slightly muffled but audible. “God, I don’t know about this. Guys, what’s his deal? He seems almost…docile. I can’t help but feel that we’re being played here.”

“Sure we should have this conversation in listening distance?” Rogers asked.

“Don’t worry, it’s so soundproof we could be having loud orgasmic sex and he wouldn’t know.”

Loki tilted his head forwards so his hair fell into his face hiding any expression and slumped down a bit further.

“Tony!”  
“Okay, okay, Rogers, stop blushing. Anyways back to topic, what’s your take?”  
“He does seem a bit too quiet. But it could very well be because he’s weakened. I don’t think the Loki we know would be feigning weakness. He’s too arrogant for that.”

“He certainly isn’t feigning his injuries.” That was Dr. Banner.

“That bad, huh?” Stark asked, more curious than concerned.

“They really did a number on him. But not just physically. He seems like he’s in…shock or something. But I don’t know, I wouldn’t put it past him to be faking it. I’m as much at a loss here as you guys.”

“Even if he is…I don’t think it matters much.” Rogers said slowly. “No, seriously. Even if he were, what would we do? Keep him contained and keep a watchful eye. We should be doing that anyway, so it doesn’t change anything.”

“Hm, does make sense. Still, I have a bad feeling, like the fucker knows something we don’t. His ‘life force’ or whatever may be diminished now, but that doesn’t mean his mind is. Let’s make sure we don’t get played by him.”

“Don’t look at me like that, Tony, I’m not stupid. But you should have seen him. I mean he said he’d been healing until then, so considering that. The damage they must have done….noone deserves that.” The last words were almost a whisper.

“Noone, you sure about that, Bruce?” Stark asked.

“No prisoner deserves to be tortured, Tony. That’s not how things should be done.”  
“Sure, Cap.”  
“I agree with you though. We should be careful.”  
“Ohh, THE captain America agrees with meagre old me, I am flattered.”

“Stop it. We should be careful. Doesn’t mean we can’t feel sympathy for what happened to Loki without underestimating him. So let’s all keep a watchful eye.”  
“Well, JARVIS is taking very good care of that, I’m sure. Other than that, we might want to think of giving him something to do.”  
“And why is that, Tony?”  
“Because I think the most dangerous Loki is a bored one.”

***

Loki turned his head a bit more towards the door to hide his smile. Then he turned, his back now against the door. He threw a quick glance to the corner of the room, winced, and then made his way to sit on the bed. The fabric was surprisingly soft again, grey, impersonal like the rest of the room. Not quite like a prison but almost.

“Mr. Odinson?”

“Just Loki is fine, computer.” Loki tried not to sound too chiding, he wasn’t going to get riled up by a machine.  
“I apologize, sir. Would you like a cooling pack, Loki?”

“Sure.” No need to deny himself that relief. A small hatch opened on the wall with a hiss. A plastic bag filled with a green liquidy material emerged. Loki stood up and took it. He glanced around the room, then carefully pressed the pack against his ribcage. A small gasp escaped him, then he leaned forward, resting his forehead against the wall, his shoulders relaxing completely for the first time that day. He stayed like that for a bit then he slid down to sit down on the bed, the pack still against his chest. Before long he had fallen asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

He was woken up by the sound of the door opening. Loki raised his head, his eyes still unfocused.  
“Loki, you are expected in the conference room promptly.” The bodiless computer announced.  
Loki glanced towards the corner of the room. He sighed and sat up with a grunt. After a shaky exhale he pushed himself upwards and stumbled towards the door. 

By the time he reached the conference room his gait looked normal again.

“Good beauty sleep princess?” Stark asked, turning around in his chair.  
“Yes. My rest was satisfactory.” Loki glanced over Barton and Romanov who were both watching him like he was about to stab someone, or maybe set the building on fire.

“Wow, sarcasm really isn’t Asgard’s thing, is it? Huh? Anyone? No? Okay. Loki, you are here to be debriefed. Be glad we are sharing this information with you, but apparently you might be helpful, soo-“. Stark threw a pointed glare at Rogers and Dr. Banner. Obviously, there had been some disagreement between the Avengers.

“I can only be helpful if I don’t get the watered down version.” Loki interrupted, ignoring Stark’s stare at him. “I’m sure you’ve already discussed how much to share with me so I don’t use this information for…nefarious purposes, but I can’t and won’t be of help if I don’t know everything. So don’t try and lie to the master, Stark. I don’t-“ his speech was interrupted by a rather inconvenient coughing fit. He turned away and tried to reign it in by breathing deeply through his nose. Once he was merely wheezing, he turned back again, facing the room. Barton’s eyebrows twitched upwards and he looked down, purposely failing at hiding his smile. Thankfully no one commented on Loki’s show of weakness.

“We decide how useful you are and how much information you get.” Rogers said firmly, before Stark could reply. He went on: “However, there isn’t too much to say anyway. SHIELD doesn’t have anything on Steorfenne, nor her weapon, or her transportation method. Nothing. But they have been assisting us in locating her.”

“Hey! I found her first!”

“Yes thanks for your contribution, Tony, as always” Steve continued. “Steorfenne is currently in Sokovia. There has been some civil unrest. A security camera showed an image of a woman with an unidentified glowing weapon walking directly through gunfire, seemingly unharmed. The footage is grainy, but it must be her. We don’t know what she is doing. ‘Feeding’? Encouraging the fighting? We are going to travel on site, to get a better understanding of what is happening, and, of course, to offer protection to the civilians on site. So far, Steorfenne hasn’t actually gotten involved in any fighting, but the situation might escalate.”

“Okay. Good idea…what?” Loki looked around as he was met with questioning glares.

“We were expecting you to have some kind of opposition.”

“I mean what do you want me to say. Yes, this is a terrible idea. Running into battle with a completely unknown force. No planning. No preparation. Completely outmatched. But that would fall on deaf ears regardless, would it not? So, let’s not waste time and find out what she is up to.”

“Good.”, said Rogers, his chest tall. “Our main purpose and priority is to protect the innocent people in Sokovia. We must try everything to ensure the citizen’s safety.”

“That brings us to one little problem.” Stark turned to glare at Loki. “You. We will take everyone on this mission. We are going to need everyone. You’re right, we might be outmatched, but we are MORE outmatched if we’re not in full umbers. But I’m not having you run havoc in my precious tower.”

“Well I don’t want him running havoc during our mission.” Barton spat.

“Guys, I told you. I don’t want to be a part of this. And if I stay here, the other guy can take care of Loki, if need be.” Dr. Banner had his arms crossed, his lips a tight line.

“You might not have a choice.” Rogers said softly. “We need the other guy to fight Steorfenne, he’s our only trump, we don’t know, maybe he’s stronger than her.”  
“Well, it’s settled then.” Loki said.

“Huh?” Stark remarked ever so eloquently.

“You certainly can’t leave me here. I might grow…bored. Even if you lock me up, I have….various ways of getting free and none of them involve any magic. Even if you leave the berserker with me, I don’t think Stark wants his ‘precious tower’ to be demolished to the ground. But if you take me and Dr. Banner with you everything’s fine and well, is it not? If need be, he can, well, he can try and stand up against Steorfenne. And in case I ‘run havoc’ he is there to incapacitate me.” 

Dr. Banner furrowed his brows. “He won’t incapacitate you, he’ll kill you.”, he mumbled.

“Well, I think we can all live with that possibility.” Loki threw a glance at Barton. He stood up, his hands still on the table. “What are you waiting for? I think we’re on a bit of a time limit here.” And with that Loki turned to walk out. Once he was in the hallway Loki clearly heard Barton say “Bruce, please do us all a favour and get angry.”


	5. Chapter 5

They weren’t completely stupid. They’d put handcuffs on Loki. But they had still taken him.

“These are …regular handcuffs. Weak metal. They’re for humans.” Loki protested as Rogers put them on. “Guess you’re one of us now.” Stark had quipped as he boarded the jet. Loki tried not to look too indignant.

He was left in the back of the jet, away from any vital discussion going on. He could hear some murmurs through the soundproof barrier, but nothing intelligible came through. The soft white noise eventually lulled Loki to sleep, and his head fell back against the wall with a soft thud.

“Wake up, princess.” Stark’s grating voice ripped him out of his sleep. 

“You know you look pretty cute, sleeping like that. Pretty non-threatening.”

“Why don’t you come closer to test that theory? I would love to rip your flesh off with my teeth, or maybe strangle you with these beauties?” Loki let the handcuffs tingle lightly, showing as many teeth as he could while he smiled.

“Remember you tried to kill me before and didn’t exactly succeed? You know the whole throwing me from a building?”

“Oh come one, I knew you wouldn’t die.” Loki scoffed.

“Huh?”

“You think I didn’t see you fiddling around with your weird bracelets. If I wanted you dead why on earth would I not stab you or decapitate you. Why would I throw one of the only people on earth who have the means to fly from a building if I was trying to kill them?”

“I…what? Why? I mean why didn’t you want to kill me I mean?”

“Who knows…although I am starting to think I should actually try this time” Loki smiled again.

“Psycho.” Stark muttered. He didn’t step any closer, though. “Okay, we’ll leave you in the competent care of Bruce while the adults handle the important stuff, okay? Don’t make a mess, or we’ll have to explain to your brother dearest why the Hulk ripped you to shreds.” With that he turned around and left, presumably to put his armour on. Loki could hear the soft hissing of a door a few seconds later. Stark must have taken off. A few minutes later the door opened again and Dr. Banner came in followed by Rogers.

“Okay, so you’ll have visuals from here. We’ll stay in contact, okay? You’ll know when we need you. And keep an eye on Loki.” Rogers was apparently giving Dr. Banner some last minute instructions.

“I know. We’ve been over this a couple of dozen times. I’m capable of handling this, Steve.”  
“I know…just be careful.” With that Rogers left the vehicle to catch up with the others.

 

***

 

Loki was delighted to find out he was able to observe the Avenger’s actions. For practical reasons the screen showing a live stream (presumably streamed from Iron Man’s mask) had to be displayed in the same room as Loki or else Dr. Banner was not able to guard him.

He could see them approaching the burning town. Loki leaned forward intent on finding Steorfenne. The Iron Man seemed to have gone ahead to scan the entire area while the other Avengers were trying to evacuate any citizens left. It only took a couple of seconds for Stark to determine Steorfenne was not anywhere to be seen. Odd, as she had been flaunting her presence before. Loki got a sinking feeling in his stomach. What was she playing at now? He looked up at Dr. Banner to see if his concern was shared and could not suppress a sharp inhale.

“I can’t do this.” Dr. Banner’s eyes were blown wide and all the colour had drained from his face, making the green in his veins stand out even more. He seemed surprised at losing his composure and the terror in Loki’s eyes were reflected in Banner’s.

“Just stay calm, Dr. Banner. Please.” Loki tried to pitch his voice low, while leaning back as much as possible. 

“I’m sorry.” The green had reached his eyes.

“Dr. Banner, Dr. Banner, listen to me. Just breathe. Long breaths. You can do this.” Loki tugged helplessly at his handcuffs, angry welts appearing at his wrists. He pressed himself flush to the side of the jet but there was no escape from the burgeoning monster.

 

Foolishly he closed his eyes like a child. He heard the sound of metal ripping and braced himself. When he opened his eyes, the beast had been unleashed. Loki held his breath and held himself very still feeling like a deer cowering in front of the wolf. The Hulk bent down, breathing on Loki’s face, a vein twitching in his face. Loki swallowed. This was it, no escape, no powers and handcuffed at the mercy of a raging beast. A few seconds passed and the Hulk did nothing. Then he suddenly turned his head as if head heard a noise and tore off. 

 

Loki let his head fall back, his long held breath coming out like a sigh. The joy was short lived however, when the air in front of him began to glimmer with a tell-tale blue shimmer. Of course. She must have been behind Banner’s loss of control.

 

With that chilling realization Steorfenne appeared out of sheer nothingness, an indulgent smile gracing her features.  
“Hello Loki.”


	6. Chapter 6

Loki focused very intently on his breathing. He felt his diaphragm expand, the oxygen rushing through his blood. He felt his breath go out in a slow steady stream. It did nothing to stop his heart from hammering against his ribcage like it was going to break his ribs once again any minute.

“I’m so glad to catch you alone.” She didn’t move. “You should be flattered really. Much more entertaining than those insects outside.” Loki wondered if she meant the Avengers or the citizens of Sokovia.

“Both actually. And there is no need to pretend you are not absolutely horrified right now, my dear. I know what a nightmare this is for you. Bared open like this. All you secrets exposed. Nowhere to hide. I mean I barely even need to do anything, you’re torturing yourself all on your own. I have to admit I have always preferred to feast on mental anguish, there is a certain…sweetness to it, a certain finesse. Much better than brute physical harm.” 

JUST DO SOMETHING, Loki screamed in his mind. Why didn’t she stop talking and started to do something?

She smiled at him. “Oh, I have so many plans. Not yet, but do not be mistaken I could crush you like a twig.” Something was off. He studied her, the way she was holding her sceptre with a tight grip. It reminded him of when he had come to earth. Struggling, barely able to stand, gripping his sceptre tight to keep himself upright. Oh.  
He couldn’t help it, he started to laugh, even though his ribcage was burning. “We are so alike, aren’t we?” He grinned, cocking his head to the side. Steorfenne’s features fell, her youthful features turning into an angry mask, so furious, she barely resembled a human. She held up her sceptre and brought it down in a swiping motion. Had Loki miscalculated? Before he could ponder for too long, the world turned black, engulfing him.

 

***

“Fuck. Guys, FUCK. He took off didn’t he? Thor’s gonna kill us.” Words registered in Loki’s brain but he couldn’t fully decipher them. Panic started to spread form his heart to his limbs and he jerked up. Or at least he tried to; not a single muscle twitched. He registered wetness on his face. Grass. He was laying on grass. Footsteps approached more frantically now.

“Guys. I found him, looks like he’s knocked out.” Stark’s voice sounded strange, metallic. Of course, he was wearing his armour. “Thank god Bruce did his job. Let’s just get out of here as fast as possible.”

Loki tried to open his eyes, or do something, explain. Steorfenne. Where was she? God, why couldn’t he just MOVE. 

“Uhhh, should we … carry him? I feel like if he wakes up to that he’ll strangle whoever’s holding him.”

“Well, Tony, that’s a risk we’ll just have to take.” said Rogers, the ever reasonable.

Loki hated this. Hearing them talk about him while he was unable to move. He tried it again, but white lightning appeared in front of his eyes, disrupting the darkness. Before he knew it, he completely lost himself once again.


End file.
